Laryngeal cancer is a malignant disease that occurs at a high incidence rate as compared with other forms of cancer of the head and neck, and its treatment is commonly conducted at a regional central hospital from diagnosis to recovery. In this study, we summarized the outcomes of first-line treatment for laryngeal cancer over the past 10 years at our hospital.　　The subjects consisted of 121 patients who received a first-line treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx between January 2000 and April 2010. Of these, 115 were male and six were female, with a mean age of 67.9 years. There were 56 cases of stage I laryngeal cancer, 30 of stage II, 14 of stage III, and 21 of stage IVa. Cases of stage IVc cancer with distal metastasis were excluded.　　The disease-specific 5-year survival rate was 100% in stage I, 81.8% in stage II, 100% in stage III, and 72.5% in stage IVa, respectively. Moreover, the laryngeal preservation rates was 93.7% in stage I, 69.4% in stage II, 34.2% in stage III, and 42.6% in stage IVa, respectively.　　Although the disease-specific 5-year survival rate in stage III was 100%, the laryngeal preservation rate was the lowest at 34.2%. In cases of stage III cancer, although the survival rate was certainly high when total laryngectomy was performed, we believe that in the future, radiation therapy and partial laryngectomy should be introduced to preserve the larynx.　　There were only three cases of stage II subglottic cancer in which both the laryngeal preservation rate and survival were low.

Sudden death (SD), which unexpectedy occurs in the middle aged and the elderly, is a subject worth studying. Much about the cause of the demise remains shrouded in mystery from the standpoint of medicine and has a significantly great impact on the community.
We conducted a fact-finding survey of SD by gathering data on dead-on-arrival (DOA) cases stored by five general hospitals affiliated with the National Welfare Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives. Examined were 292 DOAs that were registered between January 1993 and December 1993 and autopsy findings of 45 cases obtained from one of the hospitals over the past eight years. The results are summed up as follows:
(1) The largest number of DOA cases was found in the age group of 70 to 79 years. About half of the total number was accounted for by people older than 70.
(2) Cardiovascular disease topped the list of causative and basal ailments that might have led to SD. Especially ischemic heart disease was evident in many cases.
(3) In many cases, death occurred during sleep or at rest.
(4) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed according to rule on most of the victims, but the priamry resuscitation ratio came out at 26%.
From these observations, we concluded that for the prediction and prevention of SD and DOA it is necessary to work on measures to help prevent and cure ischemic heart disease.

This study was performed to evaluate management of cancer pain in 322 patients who were treated in our pain clinic between January 1986 and December 1997. For this purpose, the change in the number of cancer patients and the annual morphine consumption during the period in our hospital were investigated. We found that as morphine consumption increased, the number of cancer patients visited the pain clinic decreased. Although 90% of them who visited the pain clinic underwent neural block therapy before 1996, the parcentage dropped to only 79% in 1996 and 50% in 1997. The increasing rate of morphine consumption in our hospital was on a par with the national average between 1986 and 1996. The use of adjuvant drugs did not change throughout the 12-year period.
We believe the consumption of morphine is not enough. It is necessary for us to become more skilled in using narcotics for relief of cancer pain along the guidelines of the World Health Organization.